Year 2 of the new TV contract saw more NHL games involving Canadian teams on television and streaming, as compared to Year 1. ESPN finally discovered Canada was a country with 2 produced games, both in Alberta, within a week in January. Otherwise, Canadian teams were only shown in games based in the United States.
TNT hasn't been afraid to go to Canada and even show all-Canadian matchups.
Having most games on ESPN+ made the NHL Network less of a priority. The pattern late in the season was to have the ABC/ESPN family carry games on Saturday night, kicking out Hockey Night in Canada games from the U.S. outlet.
No more Hometown Hockey games meant the Monday games weren't as significant. The NHL Network had stripped the intermissions in the last year of the concept.
The Showcase games went really well, even if they stopped showing Canadian teams in mid-January. The NHL Network can't run Saturday matinees during ABC windows. The difference is that Canadian teams could be on the Showcase but not on the ABC telecasts.
The Alex Ovechkin obsession altered the NHL Network to chase the Washington Capitals in mid-December. The Toronto game in the U.S. capital switched from Hockey Night in Canada to the worst NHL local announcers. A jolt on a Saturday night to go from a porterhouse steak to dog food.
Ottawa got an extra home game on the U.S. channel schedule (December 22) but they took the NBC Sports Washington feed and also did so for a Winnipeg road game (December 23). This was for the goal for Ovechkin to pass Gordie Howe for second on the all-time list.
Switching to a local feed can be noble but those announcers were terrible.
October 22
Dallas @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
October 24
Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 8p
October 30
Toronto @ Los Angeles, 7p (HNIC)
November 5
Boston @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
November 12
Ottawa @ Philadelphia, 1p (Showcase)
Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
November 19
New Jersey @ Ottawa, 1p (Showcase)
Calgary @ Florida, 4p
November 22
Buffalo @ Montréal, 7p
November 26
Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p (Showcase)
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p (HNIC)
November 27
Winnipeg @ Chicago, 7p
December 3
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p (HNIC)
December 10
Los Angeles @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
December 17
Toronto @ Washington, 7p
December 18
Ottawa @ Minnesota, 2p (Showcase)
December 22
Washington @ Ottawa, 7p
December 23
Winnipeg @ Washington, 7p
January 7
Detroit @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
January 9
Nashville @ Ottawa, 7:30p
January 13
Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh, 7p
January 14
Calgary @ Dallas, 2p (Showcase)
Toronto @ Boston, 7p (HNIC)
January 15
Arizona @ Winnipeg, 7p
January 20
Ottawa @ Pittsburgh, 7p
January 21
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
January 29
Washington @ Toronto, 5p
January 30
St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 8p
February 25
Ottawa @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
February 27
Boston @ Edmonton, 8:30p
March 4
Toronto @ Vancouver, 7p (HNIC)
March 11
Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
March 13
Colorado @ Montréal, 7:30p
March 17
Carolina @ Toronto, 7p
March 26
Toronto @ Nashville, 6p
April 2
New Jersey @ Winnipeg, 7p
| Team | Overall | HNIC | Showcase |
| Toronto | 13 | 9 | 0 |
| Montréal | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| Ottawa | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| Winnipeg | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Edmonton | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Calgary | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Vancouver | 1 | 1 | 0 |
NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2022 season analysis
NHL Network, NBCSN, and ESPN+ games in 2021 season analysis
TNT was in love with Connor McDavid and covering more Western teams with a full season of doubleheaders. The Edmonton Oilers were on TNT 7 times in the 2022-2023 season. TNT showed 3 Edmonton home games out of those 7.
The Toronto love came in the calendar year of 2023 with 2 home games in January, 1 home game in February, and 1 home game in March.
The Calgary Flames were mostly neglected in the first year of the TNT deal. The Flames had 3 telecasts on TNT, 2 of them at home.
TNT showed 5 NHL games from Alberta in 2022-2023 while ESPN has only had 2 games in Canada for 2 whole seasons, though both in Alberta.
Vancouver had 2 games: 1 home, 1 road. Ottawa had a token road appearance, 1 more than the 2021-2022 season.
TNT kept to its original schedule, except for a Calgary add at Seattle on the last week of the 2022 calendar year.
Montréal and Winnipeg were not scheduled and did not appear on TNT. The Winnipeg Jets are the only Canadian team not to appear on TNT in the first 2 seasons.
TNT had 16 games, up from 13 last season. 10 were on Canadian soil, 4 of them in Toronto and 3 in Edmonton. There was a single all-Canadian matchup.
November 8 Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
November 16 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
November 23 Ottawa @ Las Vegas, 10p
November 30 Edmonton @ Chicago, 9:30p
December 14 Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p
December 21 Edmonton @ Dallas, 9:30p
December 28 Calgary @ Seattle, 10p
January 11 Nashville @ Toronto, 7:30p
January 25 NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p
January 25 Columbus @ Edmonton, 9:30p
February 15 Chicago @ Toronto, 7p
March 8 Anaheim @ Vancouver, 10p
March 15 Colorado @ Toronto, 7p
March 22 Arizona @ Edmonton, 10:30p
April 5 Edmonton @ Anaheim, 10p
April 12 San Jose @ Calgary, 10p
NHL Network, NBCSN, and ESPN+ games in 2019-2020 season analysis
NHL Network, NBCSN, and ESPN+ games in 2018-2019 season analysis
NHL Network and NBCSN games in 2017-2018 season analysis
NHL Network games in 2016-2017 season analysis
NHL Network games in 2015-2016 season analysis
Let's start with good news. ESPN bumped up the number of games involving Canadian teams to 7 from 2. The U.S. network even carried games before April. Brace yourself: ESPN showed a regular season game from Canada for the first time ever on January 19.
The divide for the ESPN games were Edmonton (3, 1 at home), Toronto (3), and Calgary (1). ESPN ignored the Calgary Flames during its successful run last season.
ESPN+/Hulu had 14 games involving Canadian teams, including a Calgary home game. That was the second game any ESPN property has carried on Canadian soil, all in Alberta. Winnipeg got a road game but more as as joke for the Arizona home opener. A joke is better than being shut out otherwise by TNT and the ESPN family.
The 14 games is an increase from 8 games in 2021-2022.
This irrational fear of doing a game on Canadian soil is really ridiculous, especially with Ray Ferraro, Leah Hextall, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall on the payroll.
Edmonton (7) and Toronto (5) road games made up the other ESPN+/Hulu telecasts.
Montréal (2) and Vancouver (1) were shut out from ESPN appearances this season despite being on in 2021-2022. Ottawa still has not been on ESPN or ESPN+/Hulu.
ESPN schedule
November 6 Toronto vs. Carolina, 5p
January 12 Toronto @ Detroit, 7p
January 19 Tampa Bay @ Edmonton, 9p
February 23 Calgary @ Las Vegas, 9p
April 4 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10:30p
April 11 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p
April 11 Edmonton @ Colorado, 9:30p
ESPN+/Hulu schedule
October 28 Winnipeg @ Arizona, 10:30p
December 1 Edmonton @ Minnesota, 8p
December 6 Toronto @ Dallas, 8:30p
December 30 Edmonton @ Seattle, 10p
January 23 Columbus @ Calgary, 9:30p
February 7 Edmonton @ Detroit, 7:30p
February 19 Edmonton @ Colorado, 3p
February 19 Toronto @ Chicago, 6p
February 21 Toronto @ Buffalo, 7:30p
March 6 Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7:30p
March 9 Edmonton @ Boston, 7:30p
March 21 Toronto @ NY Islanders, 7:30p
March 28 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p
April 10 Toronto @ Florida, 7p
ESPN and ESPN+ need to have more games and a majority on Canadian soil in the 2023-2024 season to try and make up for the first 2 years.
Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
| Team | Overall | TNT | ESPN | ESPN+ |
| Edmonton | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 |
| Toronto | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Calgary | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Vancouver | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ottawa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Winnipeg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Montréal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
photo credits: NHL Network; TNT; ESPN
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